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The Latest by Sambhav Sankar

Senior Vice President of Programs

Donald Trump holds up a signed document while seated at his desk in the Oval Office, which is covered in stacks of document binders. He has a serious expression on his face and a man is standing next to him holding more document binders.
May 12, 2025

For Real, What Do Trump’s Executive Orders Do?

By Sambhav Sankar

An EO is just a statement about the president’s policy preferences — but we’re watching for real actions.

United States Supreme Court (front row L-R) Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, Associate Justice Samuel Alito, and Associate Justice Elena Kagan, (back row L-R) Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson pose for their official portrait at the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court building on October 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court has begun a new term after Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was officially added to the bench in September.
September 26, 2023

Here’s What to Expect From the Supreme Court This Term

By Sambhav Sankar

Recent environmental rulings from the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority have revealed a dangerous agenda, but we still have strong legal tools to protect people and the planet.

A California spotted owl perches on a tree
March 24, 2023

Protecting the Sierra Species

By Sambhav Sankar  /  Biodiversity Defense Program & California Office

The California spotted owl is the last of four native Sierra Nevada species to receive Endangered Species Act protection in the culmination of a 30-year legal fight.

A few hundred supporters of clean water rallied outside the Supreme Court on Oct. 3, 2022, as the court heard oral arguments in Sackett v. EPA.
February 23, 2023

Justices’ Clean Water Act Queries Hint At Search For Balance

By Sambhav Sankar  /  Washington, D.C. Office

At oral argument in Sackett v. EPA, some justices struggled to square simplistic industry arguments with science and common sense.

Workers install solar panels on a parking structure at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.
August 19, 2022

The Inflation Reduction Act is the Biggest Climate Investment in History. The Fight Doesn’t Stop Here.

By Sambhav Sankar  /  Headquarters Office

We must work to secure the positive potential of the IRA’s investments and prevent new fossil fuel subsidies from harming communities that have already suffered too much.

Fire boat response crews battle the blazing remnants of the offshore oil rig Deepwater Horizon.
April 20, 2022

Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Anniversary Is a Grave Reminder of Why Not to Trust the Oil Industry

By Sambhav Sankar  /  Washington, D.C. Office

The only thing we can truly trust this industry to do is fight to preserve its business model and secure profits for its shareholders.

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C.
March 23, 2022

The Earth Needs Good Judges. Here’s What That Means.

By Sambhav Sankar  /  Washington, D.C. Office

3 questions to ask about any judicial nominee.

A coal-fired power plant.
March 16, 2022

A Hostile Supreme Court Threatens Environmental Progress

By Sambhav Sankar  /  Headquarters Office

The court’s ‘Major Questions’ doctrine could block regulators from protecting species or tackling climate change.

Sambhav Sankar is Earthjustice's Senior Vice President for Programs.
November 17, 2021

How an Environmental Lawyer Stays Motivated to Fight the Climate Crisis

By Sambhav Sankar & Alison Cagle  /  Washington, D.C. Office

Sambhav Sankar, Earthjustice’s senior VP of programs, shares his perspective on what environmental litigation can achieve.

Smoke billows from controlled oil burns near the site of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in June 2010.
October 15, 2021

I Investigated the Deepwater Horizon Disaster. When Will We Learn From Our Mistakes?

By Sambhav Sankar  /  Headquarters Office

As we find ourselves in the grip of another catastrophe, it’s worth reflecting on how the nation and the oil industry responded to the Deepwater Horizon disaster.